Charissa Keebaugh v. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

District Court, C.D. California·Decided October 13, 2022·No. 2:22-cv-01272·Unknown

Opinion

Case 2:22-cv-01272-MEMF-AGR Document 52 Filed 10/13/22 Page 1 of 12 Page ID #:366

O Case No.: 2:22-cv-01272-MEMF (AGRx) CHARISSA KEEBAUGH, et al., Plaintiffs, ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT WARNER v. BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.’S MOTION TO COMPEL ARBITRATION AND STAY PROCEEDINGS WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT [ECF NO. 41] INC., Defendant.

Before the Court is the Motion to Compel Arbitration and Stay Proceedings filed by Defendant Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. ECF No. 41. For the reasons provided below, the Court DENIES the Motion. / / / / / /

1 Case 2:22-cv-01272-MEMF-AGR Document 52 Filed 10/13/22 Page 2 of 12 Page ID #:367

I. Background A. Factual Background1 Defendant Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (“Warner Bros.”) developed a mobile application game based upon the HBO television series, “Game of Thrones,” called Game of Thrones Conquest (“GOTC”). FAC ¶ 25. The game is free to initially download but later offers players the option to purchase “packs” to help players advance in the game. Id. ¶ 27. The in-app purchases, or “microtransactions,” include “gold, building material, crafting material, armor, and other valuables, and the add-ons are necessary to level up one’s account.” Id. An “in-app purchase” refers to the “financial transaction initiated from within the mobile application itself. These in-app purchases, or ‘packs,’ range in price from $0.99 to $99.99 each” in real currency. Id. ¶¶ 27, 31. Each time a player logs into a game, a pop-up advertisement for a $99.99 pack fills the entire screen. Id. ¶ 32. The player may purchase the pack or close the advertisement by pressing an “X” in the corner. Id. Plaintiffs Charissa Keebaugh (“Keebaugh”), Stephanie Neveu (“Neveu”), Heather Mercieri (“Mercieri”), Sophia Nicholson (“Nicholson”), and P.W. (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) all played GOTC and made in-app purchases. See generally id. Keebaugh began playing GOTC in May 2020 and purchased several packs. Id. ¶ 19. Neveu began playing GOTC in June 2019 and purchased numerous packs from June or July 2019 until October 2021. Id. ¶ 20. Mercieri began playing GOTC in July 2018 and purchased several packs. Id. ¶ 21. Nicholson began playing GOTC in June 2020 and purchased several packs. Id. ¶ 22. P.W., a minor, used his parents’ credit card to make approximately $6,200 in in-app purchases on GOTC. Id. ¶ 67. Warner Bros. deceived Plaintiffs, and other consumers like them, by falsely advertising discounts on in-app purchases. Id. ¶ 3. B. Procedural History On February 24, 2022, Plaintiffs Keebaugh, Neveu, and Mercieri filed this putative class action against Warner Bros. ECF No. 1. On May 23, 2022, Plaintiffs Keebaugh, Neveu, Mercieri, Nicholson, and P.W., by and through his guardian Joie Weiher (“Weiher”) filed a First Amended 1 All factual allegations are taken from Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint unless otherwise noted. (“FAC”) ECF No. 39.

2 Case 2:22-cv-01272-MEMF-AGR Document 52 Filed 10/13/22 Page 3 of 12 Page ID #:368

Complaint against Warner Bros., alleging nine causes of action: (1) violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law, CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE § 17200, et seq.; (2) violation of California’s False Advertising Law, CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE § 17500, et seq.; (3) violation of the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, CAL. CIV. CODE § 1750, et seq.; (4) fraud; (5) negligent misrepresentation; (6) declaratory judgment; (7) violation of New Hampshire’s Regulation of Business Practices for Consumer Protection Act; (8) violation of Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, RCW 19.86.020; and (9) violation of N.Y. GEN. BUS. LAW §§ 349 & 350. See generally FAC. The Complaint identifies a Global Class of: “[a]ll persons, within the applicable statute of limitations, who purchased False Gold Strikethrough Packs or False Sale Packs, and/or such subclasses as the Court may deem appropriate.” Id. ¶ 78. P.W. additionally identifies a “Minor subclass” of “[a]ll persons, within the applicable statute of limitations, who, while under the age of 18, purchased False Gold Strikethrough Packs or False Sale Packs, and/or such subclasses as the Court may deem appropriate.” Id. ¶ 79. The remaining Plaintiffs also identify subclasses of “[a]ll persons . . . within the applicable statute of limitations, who purchased False Gold Strikethrough Packs or False Sale Packs, and/or such subclasses as the Court may deem appropriate,” in Washington, Arizona, New Hampshire, and New York. Id. ¶¶ 80–83. On June 13, 2022, Warner Bros. filed this Motion to Compel Arbitration.2 ECF No. 41 (“Mot.”). The Motion was fully briefed on August 11, 2022. ECF Nos. 46 (“Opp’n”), 48 (“Reply”). The Court heard oral argument on the Motion on October 6, 2022. During the hearing, the Court asked Warner Bros. to submit images relating to the downloading of GOTC and the Opening Screens. Following the hearing, Warner Bros. submitted these supplemental exhibits to the Court, which the Court considered in reaching its decision. ECF No. 51. C. GOTC Application and Terms of Use (“TOU”) Upon opening the GOTC application, new players, as well as players who re-download the game will see an Opening Screen, such as those featured in Exhibits 5–7 (“Opening Screens”). ECF 2 Warner Bros. also submitted an iPhone 12 containing the GOTC application in support of its Motion. ECF No. 49, Exhibit 8. The Court returned the Exhibit to counsel at the October 6, 2022 hearing.

3 Case 2:22-cv-01272-MEMF-AGR Document 52 Filed 10/13/22 Page 4 of 12 Page ID #:369

No. 41-1 ¶ 6. Although the graphic art has varied over time, the Opening Screen has always included one of following two statements printed below the blue “Play” button: (1) “By tapping Play I agree to the Terms of Service;” (2) “By tapping Play I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge the Privacy Policy.” Id. ¶¶ 7–9. Below the “Play” button and the statement relating to GOTC’s terms are two hyperlinks in the bottom left and bottom right corner of the screen. See Opening Screens. The bottom left hyperlink, entitled “Privacy Policy,” takes users to the privacy policy if clicked. See ECF No. 49, Exhibit 8. The bottom right hyperlink, entitled “Terms of Service,” takes users to the TOU if clicked. See id. Once the user presses the “Play” button, he will gain access to the game and immediately start play. See id. When a user clicks the hyperlink, “Terms of Service,” it directs the user to the TOU. The TOU includes an “Arbitration Agreement” that provides in relevant part:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Charissa Keebaugh v. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., (C.D. Cal. 2022).

Charissa Keebaugh v. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (Charissa Keebaugh v. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Byrd
470 U.S. 213 (Supreme Court, 1985)
First Options of Chicago, Inc. v. Kaplan
514 U.S. 938 (Supreme Court, 1995)
Doctor's Associates, Inc. v. Casarotto
517 U.S. 681 (Supreme Court, 1996)
Howsam v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.
537 U.S. 79 (Supreme Court, 2002)
U.S. ex rel. Oliver v. Parsons Co.
195 F.3d 457 (Ninth Circuit, 1999)
Comedy Club, Inc. v. Improv West Associates
553 F.3d 1277 (Ninth Circuit, 2009)
Linda Solomon v. Thomas Vilsack
763 F.3d 1 (D.C. Circuit, 2014)
Carey Brennan v. Opus Bank
796 F.3d 1125 (Ninth Circuit, 2015)
Daniel Berman v. Freedom Financial Network LLC
30 F.4th 849 (Ninth Circuit, 2022)
Morgan v. Sundance, Inc.
596 U.S. 411 (Supreme Court, 2022)
Rent-A-Center, West, Inc. v. Jackson
177 L. Ed. 2d 403 (Supreme Court, 2010)